Chapter 107 - <14>
Anna stood tensely on a spot higher than the wooden boxes where the enemy was hiding. In front of her was a large back, standing as if to protect her.
"Don't be so tense. Just give 'em one like you always do."
Ritz said with a lighthearted laugh.
But what Edward had told her earlier was weighing on her mind a little. Apparently, it was easy to aim from a low place to a high place.
"Are you really sure it's okay?"
She couldn't help but tug on the hem of his clothes and ask for confirmation again. Ritz, his attention still focused ahead, glanced back slightly.
With a smile on his lips, he gave a light wink.
"Trust your guardian."
Whenever he said that, she felt reassured that everything would be alright.
Instead of replying, she nodded, closed her eyes, and focused her spirit on the staff. Patricia's staff had an amazing ability to heighten her concentration.
"O water spirit, who governs peace and healing. Lend me your strength."
Chanting softly, she thrust one hand upward. Perhaps because they were near the sea, she could feel the power of water rapidly gathering in her palm. When she opened her eyes, a large Water Sphere had formed above her hand.
"Ritz."
When she asked for the timing, Ritz, who was deflecting an incoming arrow with his greatsword without even looking back, answered casually.
"Yep, whenever you're ready."
"Okay. Go, Water Sphere!"
She threw the Water Sphere with all her might toward where the enemy was hiding.
"That's a pretty big one."
Simultaneously with Ritz's cheerful comment, the Water Sphere was destroyed by the wind spirit user and scattered.
Even in the dim light, she could clearly see the glittering spray of water.
Right now, the bad guys are probably soaked. The thought made her feel a little sorry for them, but they were doing bad things, so it couldn't be helped.
She hoped this would make them turn over a new leaf.
"Next one, can you do it right away?"
Ritz turned to look at her with a relaxed tone, watching the enemies thrown into confusion by the Water Sphere.
"I can."
"Alright, two more then."
"Okay. Water Sphere!"
She created Water Spheres one after another and hurled them into the enemy's camp. Each time, the sphere burst into a fine spray and rained down on the criminals.
The atomized water rained down mercilessly on the wooden boxes, the cargo, and the drug dealers, like a torrential downpour in a single spot. The scene was so strangely comical.
"Those guys better be thankful it's not the middle of winter."
"But it's cold at dawn."
"Well, can't be helped. Punishment is punishment."
As they were chatting leisurely, the enemy, having finally recovered from their confusion, began to counterattack. But there were few bow attacks.
What was mainly being thrown were the contents of the nearby wooden boxes. Things like plates, apples, and some kind of bottle.
Ritz was batting away the incoming arrows and the random assortment of plates and stone-like objects not just with ease, but with enjoyment.
He seemed to find it amusing to see how far they flew.
"Ooh, that one flew the farthest. It hit the wall over there."
Listening to Ritz's cheerful words, it was easy to forget they were in the middle of a battle. She almost found herself wanting to say, "I want to try hitting one too!"
It really looked that fun.
In contrast, the enemy was completely soaked, hair plastered to their foreheads, desperately throwing things with grim expressions. She was starting to feel sorry for them.
"Ritz, do you think those people will catch a cold?"
She asked, looking up at Ritz, who laughed cheerfully.
"They won't. You know what they say, right? 'Fools don't catch colds.' People who sell drugs are fools, so there's no problem."
"I see."
"So, give 'em one more shot."
"Okay."
She thought it might be enough, but if Ritz said so, one more it was.
"Go, Water Sphere!"
The final Water Sphere burst above the enemy's heads. Right now, they were probably soaked and very cold. Anna silently clasped her hands together and apologized in her heart.
"Franz, you're up."
Ritz called out to Franz, who was waiting below the wooden boxes. Franz nodded with his usual deadpan expression and climbed up.
"Okay, switch!"
She said, cheerfully raising a hand for a high-five. Franz, with a sigh, slapped her hand. She guessed he was probably thinking something like, Good grief, or I know, I know, or Don't do such childish things.
Not wanting to be completely out of the loop, she moved down one level of boxes and watched the situation, peeking her head out.
"Don't use a Fireball at first. If the wind spirit user scatters it, it'll be dangerous for our dry boxes over here."
Ritz said, still sounding cheerful as he knocked down the various objects and occasional arrows the enemy was throwing.
"I know."
Franz, holding a short fire spear in his hand, replied brusquely. He then muttered a small prayer before speaking, not in his usual listless voice, but in a clear, ringing tone.
"Go, Flame Arrow."
A sharply glittering Flame Arrow shot forth from Franz's hand.
Easily piercing the center of the wind spirit user's opposing wind pressure wave, the Flame Arrow reached the enemy camp.
The next moment, along with the enemy's screams, the arrow exploded. Franz's Flame Arrow had evolved; apparently, it now exploded upon hitting the floor or its target.
"Not bad."
Ritz praised him, as if he had known this would happen. Franz replied, not looking particularly pleased.
"Well, yeah."
"Alright, keep 'em coming."
"Yeah."
The Flame Arrows Franz launched were incredibly accurate compared to her own. Anna could only watch in admiration as they seemed to be drawn to the enemy camp, throwing them into disarray.
It would be convenient if she could use water like that.
Until now, when it came to water spirits, Anna had mainly used the Water Dragon. The only other thing she could do was healing magic.
So she had relied completely on the Water Dragon. But honestly, using the Water Dragon now was a little scary. It wasn't the Water Dragon that was scary, but the power she herself possessed.
On the day of the attempted assassination of the king, Anna had used the Water Dragon in the throne room. She had done it because she didn't know how many people would die otherwise.
But in the end… she had taken the lives of four men in an instant.
She had to do it to save everyone else. But witnessing firsthand that the Water Dragon also had the power to kill people so easily had terrified her.
That's why she hadn't summoned the Water Dragon even once since that day.
Snapping back to reality from her reverie, she saw that the enemy camp was in utter chaos. Being bombarded with a large number of Flame Arrows in a small area must have been unbearable for them.
Fortunately, their clothes were wet, so they weren't catching fire, but a Flame Arrow was still fire, so it was undoubtedly hot.
At some point, the attacks from their side had stopped. It seemed they were now haphazardly entering a state of retreat.
"Franz, can you make a small Fireball?"
Ritz turned and asked Franz.
"How small?"
"Let's see…"
As he looked at Ritz, their eyes met. In that instant, Ritz smiled.
"About half the size of Anna, maybe?"
Anna was a little over 150 centimeters tall. Not much different from Ritz's greatsword. But she wasn't too happy about being used as a comparison like this.
"I see… got it."
But Franz, paying no mind to Anna's thoughts, gave a small nod and created a Fireball in his palm.
"This is the finale. The moment you throw it, duck behind the boxes. I'm going after the enemy."
No sooner had he said it than Ritz had already leaped down from the boxes. At that signal, Franz launched the Fireball.
"Go, Fireball."
At Franz's command, the ball of fire shot out, naturally sending the enemy camp into a massive panic. Unlike water, they seemed to understand that scattering this would be a huge problem.
As soon as he threw the Fireball, Franz, who had taken cover behind a wooden box, muttered softly.
"Is this the end?"
But Anna had no idea.
"Hmm, I wonder?"
She said, peeking her head out from behind the box to look at the enemy camp and Ritz. An unexpected sight met her eyes. A fire had started.
"Franz! A fire!"
"What did you say?"
Franz, too, looked out from behind the box, stunned. And at the center of the fire was the wind spirit user. He seemed to be in a panic.
Seeing his unusually panicked state, Anna realized what had happened.
"…That person… he shot a wind pressure wave at the Fireball."
"…That's impossible…"
Going beyond stunned, Franz muttered in utter disbelief. Even Anna, an amateur, knew that doing something like that was absolutely dangerous. What could he have been thinking?
A Fireball of that size would have been harmless if it had just fallen on the soaked floor.
Staring at the panicking wind spirit user, Anna understood why he had fired the wind pressure wave.
"Oh, he was scared…"
As she and Franz stared at each other in bewilderment, a wind pressure wave flew toward them in the next moment. They hastily ducked their heads, and a nearby wooden box was sent flying. One after another, wind pressure waves were unleashed, and wooden boxes scattered everywhere.
Peeking out from the corner of a box between blasts, she saw the wind spirit user shouting something at the top of his lungs while firing wind pressure waves indiscriminately.
"This means he's panicking, right?"
"Looks like it."
But it was certain that the situation was becoming one where they couldn't afford to be so laid-back. The fire, having spread to a wooden box far from the soaked area, was gradually beginning to spread throughout the warehouse.
"Anna!"
She heard a voice calling her from below. Right, Ritz had jumped down.
"Listen without showing your face! Fire a Water Sphere! Just put out the fire."
"Got it!"
Answering loudly from behind the box, Anna readied her staff and closed her eyes. She concentrated and created a Water Sphere in her palm. To prevent the fire from spreading, she would need a big one.
"Anna!"
Franz's voice was unusually panicked, so Anna opened her eyes. She was astounded by the sight of the Water Sphere in her palm.
There, a Water Sphere easily over two meters in size had formed.
"Whoa…"
It was large enough to completely envelop not just Anna and Franz, but even the big Ritz and Lef.
"It's too big!"
"You're the one who made it!"
"But, but, I'm not used to this staff!"
While the two of them were panicking, the fire continued to spread.
"What's wrong?"
Ritz, unaware of the situation, yelled from below. It couldn't be helped; putting out the fire was the priority. In that case, bigger was better.
"I'm throwing it now!"
Waiting for a moment when no wind pressure wave was coming, Anna stood up. Targeting the area where the flames were highest, she threw the Water Sphere with all her might.
"Go, Water Sphere!"
"Y-You idiot!"
"Huh? Huh?"
Franz screamed next to her, but it was too late. The next moment, the Water Sphere directly hit the sea-side steel door and shattered with a massive splash.
The fire was mostly extinguished. It was extinguished, but…
She heard shouting from below. And most of the voices belonged to their allies.
Timidly looking in that direction, she saw Edward, Lef, Kenny, and Altman's group rushing toward them in a great hurry.
Hearing their shouts, Anna froze.
"Ritz, are you alive?"
"Y-Your Excellency!"
…Come to think of it, she had forgotten about Ritz, who had been standing in front of the steel door to prevent the enemy's escape.
"Uh… did I mess up?"
Frozen in her throwing posture, she turned only her head toward Franz. Franz let out a huge sigh and pressed a hand to his forehead.
"From now on, you should really look before you leap."
At his sigh-filled voice, Anna could only manage a strained laugh.
"Ehehe… I'll try to remember."
Timidly, she peered down. The area near the door was already a puddle.
Her heart pounded at the thought of what would have happened if Ritz had been crushed, but that worry was unfounded.
"Anna! You idiot! Are you trying to kill me?!"
Ritz, soaked to the bone, was yelling at her at the top of his lungs. As expected, a little thing like that wouldn't hurt him. Relieved, a weak voice escaped her.
"Sorry, I forgooot…"
"'Sorry' doesn't cut it! You just wait!"
Ritz, having been hit with a giant Water Sphere by a comrade, and a woman he loved at that, crossed his arms sullenly while holding his greatsword.
Looking up, he saw the two of them on the wooden box hastily trying to get down. With matters still unresolved, he would have to deal with the enemy first.
He glanced at Edward and Lef standing beside him, they exchanged a small nod and turned back to the enemy. In that instant, the blow came.
The confused spirit user, seeing his chance, fired a more powerful wind pressure wave than ever before at Ritz.
Ritz, being battle-hardened, skillfully dodged it. There was no way he would be hit by the wind pressure wave of a spirit user who, while useful on a ship, had almost no combat experience.
But the enemy's target was no longer the drugs or the military police. The moment the wind pressure wave passed by Ritz and hit the steel door, the large door was blown outward.
"Damn it!"
The steel door fell outward with a loud crash. The dark view was suddenly illuminated by the rising sun. There lay the glittering surface of the water.
"Dawn."
He noticed from the silhouette floating there. A ship was moored facing the warehouse. This ship was… the one Ritz and the others had arrived on.
The men hadn't barricaded themselves out of desperation; they had been stalling for time until dawn when they could set sail.
With a spirit user, a ship's speed would be considerably faster than normal. They must have thought they could outrun the Luciana military's ships.
The men all started running toward the ship at once. In return, nearly ten men emerged from the ship to reinforce their allies.
But they only came out as far as they could quickly retreat to the ship. They were planning to flee as soon as all their comrades were aboard.
Looking back, he saw that Altman and the other military policemen were struggling with the prisoners they had captured earlier, who had started to fight back.
It seemed the siege had also given them time to recover.
Kenny and Gordon were also helping to restrain the large number of prisoners. That meant their fighting force was just Ritz, Edward, and Lef.
He tried to suppress the enemy again, but the spirit user was firing wind pressure waves to intimidate them. The spirit user was desperate to let his comrades escape.
There was nothing more troublesome than an attack from someone fighting for their life, as their patterns were unpredictable.
"Damn, this has turned into a mess…"
He lightly clicked his tongue and met the enemy's reinforcements. Three against ten wasn't a problem for the three of them. It wasn't, but fighting while dodging the spirit user's wind pressure waves was extremely difficult.
There were supposed to be military police waiting outside, but what happened to them? Perhaps something else had occurred.
A careful smuggler would think to cause a commotion elsewhere on the day of the transaction to divert the military police's attention. If so, they could assume there would be no reinforcements.
As he engaged the enemy, an idea occurred to Ritz. If the enemy was returning to the ship, why not let them?
"Ed, we're pulling back for now."
He said to Edward, who was swinging his sword next to him. Edward furrowed his brow with a puzzled look.
"What's this, all of a sudden?"
"Just do it. Lef, you too."
"Yes, sir."
As they slowly backed away from the enemy, the enemy, though wary, rushed back onto the ship in a great hurry. They immediately began preparations to set sail. Ignoring them, Ritz retreated to a position out of range of the enemy's arrows.
"At this rate, we'll lose them!"
To Altman, who cried out in anguish, Ritz showed a smile.
"Like I'd let them get away."
Anna, having finally climbed down from the wooden box, arrived, and Ritz fixed his gaze on her. Anna looked uncomfortable and gave a sheepish smile.
"I'm sorry. I forgot."
She apparently thought she was going to be scolded. But Anna's absentmindedness was a daily occurrence. He had no intention of getting angry now.
"I'll have you make up for it later, in full."
"Okay. I'll do anything."
Anna said meekly. But having Anna do 'anything' for him would be a great strain on his self-control. He brushed off her words with a laugh.
"Alright, for now, stop that ship for me."
"Huh?"
Everyone's gaze turned to Ritz and stopped.
"It'd be a problem if they got away, right? I was thinking we could just round them all up, ship and all, in one fell swoop."
He said with a confident smile, and Edward nodded as if in understanding.
"The Water Dragon."
"Correct. As expected of someone with the wisdom of age."
At Edward's words, Franz also seemed to get it and nodded.
"Indeed, it might be possible to stop the ship…"
"…You want me to use the Water Dragon?"
It seemed the person most surprised was the one in question. Anna muttered this, then fell unusually silent for her.
She was deep in thought. But in this situation, there was no other option. Or rather, in that situation, this was the quickest solution.
There was no time to waste standing around dumbfounded. Ritz issued instructions in rapid succession.
"Military Police, take the prisoners and return to headquarters first. Altman, it would be a great help if you stayed. Altman, what's the situation with the sea patrol?"
"The Luciana military's Military Police are on standby at the port."
"Then go call them. I'd like to move the ship toward the port if possible, but that's probably not feasible."
"Understood."
Altman nodded to his subordinate, and one of them ran off. More than half of the military policemen also left, dragging the prisoners with them.
"Alright, Anna. For now, summon the Water Dragon and wrap up that ship. That way, they won't be able to escape so easily."
"…Okay."
Unlike usual, Anna nodded with a lack of enthusiasm. Something was off. But at this point, a change of strategy was no longer possible. While keeping an eye on Anna, he continued.
"When the Luciana military's ship arrives, have it open a large hole in the side of the smugglers' ship. That'll start it sinking, and they'll have no choice but to abandon ship and escape into the sea, right? We'll have the Luciana military's Military Police capture them there."
After he explained it all at once, everyone except Anna nodded. It was clear there was no better plan.
After finishing his explanation, he looked around at everyone, and his eyes stopped on Anna. Something was still off.
"What's wrong?"
He quietly approached and peered into her face. Anna still had a somewhat bewildered look, but she smiled as if to not worry him.
"…No. It's nothing. I just have to stop that ship, right?"
"…Yeah. Stop it after the ship has left the pier and has absolutely no way to escape."
"Got it."
She muttered softly, turned her back to Ritz, and fell silent. Her gaze was fixed on the ship. She seemed to be brooding over something.
He looked at Edward, who gave a small shrug. The only people Anna confided in were Joe and Edward, but it seemed he didn't know this time.
He looked at Franz and Lef to see if they knew anything, but they didn't seem to either. The others wouldn't have a clue.
Ritz stared at the crown of Anna's head. At this height difference and this close, what came into view was not her head or shoulders, but the crown of her head.
He suddenly remembered once teasing her that her red-haired crown looked like pasta with tomato sauce.
It would be awkward to move away, so he kept his gaze fixed on Anna from that position and noticed her shoulders were trembling slightly.
He wondered if she was cold, but that was unlikely. He, who was soaked to the bone, should be much colder.
If that was the case… what was the cause?
Anna started acting strangely when he mentioned the Water Dragon. Had something happened with the Water Dragon? He felt like Anna hadn't used the Water Dragon at all recently. When was the last time he had seen Anna's Water Dragon?
The moment he thought about it, something came to mind.
Anna had used the Water Dragon during the attempted assassination of the king. And there… she had killed four men who had turned into monsters. Even though she always said she didn't want to hurt people.
Franz had once been troubled by the thought, 'People die so easily.' Anna, too, had come to realize that situation anew by killing people with her own hands.
Normally, Anna would have been able to live her whole life without knowing such a thing. But now that she knew, she could no longer use the Water Dragon as innocently as she had when she was ignorant.
In other words, Anna was afraid. Afraid of using the Water Dragon.
He felt everyone's gaze on him, as if pleading with him to do something, but he steeled himself and gently hugged Anna from behind.
Her small shoulders trembled with a start.
"Anna, the Water Dragon is fine."
He admonished her as gently as possible. Anna, in his arms, stirred slightly and muttered.
"…But."
"It's true that the Water Dragon has the power to kill people. But you're the one controlling it."
"Yeah."
"As long as you are properly considering the other party, whether they are friend or foe, there's no need to fear the Water Dragon."
"But, I so easily… so many people…"
As she spoke, Anna's words trailed off. It seemed she had been carrying this burden all by herself until now.
She was really, astonishingly strong-willed.
If only she had told him about this after the incident had settled down and life had returned to normal, he could have offered better support.
But there was little he could do now.
He tightened his embrace and spoke with conviction.
"The Water Dragon is your friend, isn't it? It's been with you all this time. How can you be afraid of a friend like that?"
"A friend…"
"Yeah. That's what you told me. I know you're not the type to intentionally hurt people. As long as you don't make a mistake, the Water Dragon will never make one either."
"…"
To the silent Anna, he spoke gently and quietly.
"I… I believe in you, Anna."
More than anyone I've ever met, you who are so straightforward.
He didn't say it out loud. The tension that had been in her entire body drained from Anna's shoulders. Anna, who had been facing forward, turned around in his arms.
"It'll be okay, right?"
"Yeah."
"People won't die, right?"
"It's fine. The Luciana navy will pick them up."
Looking up at him, Anna smiled brightly. Her usual smile.
"If you say so, Ritz, then it must be true."
"Where does this… absolute trust you have in me come from?"
Mindful of the eyes around them, Ritz concealed his happy expression with an exasperated one, let go of Anna, and stroked her head.
"Okay, I'll do my best!"
Anna cheerfully announced to everyone watching her, then turned her gaze to the ship that was gradually moving away from the pier.
"Not yet. I'll give you the signal."
"Okay. Let's get this over with quickly and go back to the inn. It's cold."
When Anna turned back and smiled at him, he realized it for the first time.
He had just hugged Anna with both arms, but he had forgotten he was soaked to the bone. Anna's clothes, too, seemed to be heavy with water.
"Sorry, I forgot."
"It's okay, since I'm the one who hit you with the Water Sphere in the first place."
"That's right. You're the culprit."
"That's so mean, you make it sound like I did something bad."
"It was plenty bad. Who in their right mind hits an ally with a giant ball of water?"
"It wasn't on purpose!"
While having this silly conversation, the two of them took a few steps forward. They moved to a position where they could see the ship clearly and where the Water Dragon would be easy to handle.
The ship was moving away quickly, probably because the spirit user was moving it in a great hurry.
Everyone's gazes were fixed on Anna, filled with tension.
Confirming that it was no longer possible to jump from the ship and that swimming to the pier would be difficult, Ritz gave Anna the command.
"Now."
"Okay. Water Dragon…"
After hesitating for just a moment, Anna turned and looked at Ritz. From this position, several meters ahead of everyone else, only he should be able to see her face.
Realizing this, he gave Anna a genuine smile and a nod. Perhaps noticing, Anna smiled back happily, gave a small nod, and looked forward.
"Water Dragon, please, stop that ship! Don't let them get away, no matter what."
Simultaneously with those words, a giant pillar of water erupted from the sea's surface. Altman's subordinates, seeing the Water Dragon for the first time, let out cries of surprise.
"Now that is magnificent…"
Edward, who had come to stand beside Ritz at some point, muttered in admiration. Perhaps due to the staff's power, it was a magnificent specimen, easily twice the size of any Water Dragon he had seen before.
"Yeah."
He nodded, but couldn't help but be captivated by the sight of the Water Dragon. In the golden light of the dawning sunrise, its form, clad in the light reflecting off the sea's surface, was filled with a brilliance that could be called divine.
"Go for it!"
Anna raised both her hands and cheered for the Water Dragon. What a carefree sight.
He had heard that spirit users and spirits, especially when dealing with high-ranking spirits, were mentally connected. If so, then this brilliance was the Water Dragon, and perhaps Anna's life force as well.
He suddenly remembered the past. The first person Ritz had ever truly loved… Patricia.
His current situation with Anna was quite different. They had fought constantly, and their situation was far from one of mutual trust.
They were always on edge, worried that the other would make some mistake. Because of that, they had become suspicious of each other, and whenever they opened their mouths, they would always end up hurting each other.
They were like that, and she was someone who would die long before he would, so Ritz had never been able to truly confess his love to Patricia.
The same was probably true for Patricia.
Patricia, torn between Edward and Ritz, ultimately chose not him, but Edward, whom she could trust and respect, and whom she had always admired.
He had never once regretted it. He thought it was the natural choice. But there was no doubt that his feelings had been real.
Now they were just bickering friends, but even so, he had no lingering regrets about what had been with Patricia.
And now, Anna, the person Ritz cared for most, was using Patricia's spirit staff.
Whether it was coincidence or fate… he didn't know. He didn't know, but he felt that he didn't want to have regrets with Anna, just as with Patricia.
It wasn't about confessing his feelings or winning her over.
He strongly wished to preserve happy memories so that even after parting with Anna, remembering her would allow him to look forward and move on.
In the morning glow, the Water Dragon roared. The sight of its glittering spray was indescribably beautiful.
"That truly is a splendid technique."
He was brought back to his senses by the murmur of his friend, who had been youthful in his distant memories. His face, though aged, had lost none of its vitality.
There is a past, and there is a present. There is no lingering resentment, which is why he can be with this friend like this. That is a very important thing.
Especially for someone like Ritz, who has lived in solitude.
"Of course she is. She's the woman I have a one-sided love for, after all."
When he said it so cheerfully, Edward turned around with a surprised look on his face.
"…Ritz."
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you. You noticed, didn't you?"
"I did."
"You're the husband of Patty, the first woman I fell for. It's only natural you'd find out."
"You…"
Edward frowned with a worried look on his face. Did he think he was brooding over something again? But there was no hidden meaning in his words.
"It's a strange thing, isn't it? The woman I like now is using the staff that was used by the woman I used to like."
Patricia had apparently told Anna, "He's an idiot, so protect him."
For now… for the duration of this journey, he would gladly accept that kindness.
Eventually, the Water Dragon coiled around the fleeing ship, encircling it as if to envelop it. Even if they tried to escape into the sea, they couldn't get past the Water Dragon; their only option was to flee back inside the ship.
Confirming that the men were completely trapped, Anna let the Water Dragon be and ran back to him with a smile.
"Ritz!"
He embraced Anna, who had happily jumped into his arms, with the face of a perfect guardian.
"Alright, you did well."
"Yeah, I did it. I'm so glad…"
Anna said in relief and looked up at Ritz's face. At her bright, shining smile, he felt as if something had been blown away.
In his long life, the time he would spend with Anna was short. When this journey ended, they would never meet again… that premise hadn't changed at all.
But to live through the long life ahead of him, he honestly felt that he wanted to cherish the time he had now, with Anna.
Rather than pushing her away in turmoil, he wanted to be near her and remember her as much as possible. Her childish parts, the occasional mature attitude she showed, and her hopeless clumsiness that could send a comrade flying.
And… the unwavering trust she placed in him.
And, he hoped to be allowed to touch her, just a little. Just for a few years. For just a few years, wouldn't such a selfish wish be permitted?
Of course, within a range that Anna herself wouldn't notice.
So that even if he became alone, loneliness would not kill him…
"By the way, you've forgotten that I'm soaked to the bone, haven't you?"
"Aah!"
Anna, who had hurriedly pulled away from Ritz, now noticed that her front was also thoroughly soaked and stood there, stunned.
"And I just bought these clothes!"
"It's your punishment for hitting me with that Water Sphere. Accept it gracefully."
"You're so mean!"
He reached out and gently touched the hair of Anna, who was pouting. It was soft.
"What?"
"Hmm? Your hair is wet too, so I was just thinking it would be a huge mess if you undid it."
Timidly, Anna touched her own hair. He had just hugged her from behind; there was no way her braid wasn't wet.
"No way! Oh no, it's going to be so frizzy!"
"Hahahaha, you reap what you sow."
At his words, Anna, who had been pouting, burst out laughing. She then started laughing along with him.
After a tense situation, it was funny enough to make them laugh. It was their usual pattern. He truly felt that such moments were unbearably happy.
After laughing for a while, Anna suddenly said.
"I'm hungry."
This, too, was their usual pattern.
"You're right. Let's have the Military Police treat us to a feast."
"Yay!"
The sun rose past Anna, illuminating the city brightly. Another new day had begun.